New Technologies for Industrial Production of Succinic Acid

Member: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 

Project Dates: 2021 – 2024

Research at the University of Illinois-Urbana Champaign developed a new, cost-effective way to make succinic acid through via fermentation. Succinic acid is an important commodity chemical used in everything from polymers, agricultural products, food and beverages, skincare, and more. 

Researchers built on DoE-funded research that developed a strain of Issatchenkia orientalis, a yeast which thrives in acidic (low pH) conditions, to produce high titers of succinic acid. Traditional efforts to produce succinic acid via fermentation have used more traditional yeasts, resulting in a large of byproduct requiring extensive downstream processing. Historically, this downstream processing has accounted for up to 60% of total product costs. Using I. orientalis resulted in lower downstream processing costs and a higher quality product with an overall yield of 64%.  

Through this project, researchers also conducted techno-economic analysis and life cycle assessment to show the process was financially viable and also reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The global biobased succinic acid market is projected to reach $235 million by 2030. Lessons learned during this project can be leveraged for the commercial-scale production of other organic acids.  

Funding source: U.S. Department of Defense